Movie Review: 30 Days of Night

Note: This is a review of a movie I have not actually seen nor know anything about. In fact, I have no interest in seeing this movie whatsoever. Caveat emptor.

A delightful tale of love, pagentry and class warfare in late eighteenth-century Austria, 30 Days of Night follows the lives of three brothers of a prosperous mercantile family who secretly yearn for a life of aristocracy and the romantic dalliances which they assume would eventually emerge. Ironies abound as the Knobloch brothers infiltrate the Viennese cultural scene during October, 1793, a time of massive social upheaval throughout Europe as the French revolution is in full swing and royals throughout the continent are fearful of their necks.

The story begins in Salzburg, where the Knobloch family had made its fortune through selling fine cheeses, farm implement products, and linen weaves. While the three children — Eduard, Willem and Peter — had no need to worry about material things, their ambition to expand beyond their provincial roots cannot be satiated with luxury and comfort, and the three decide to hit the road to bustling Vienna, home of Mozart and the seat of the Habsburg empire.

Peter (ably played by Seth Green) is the romantic of the bunch. Immediately after entering the city gates, he spots Emilie (Natalie Portman), the middle daughter of the Prince Charles Emmanuel of Sardinia, who has come to Vienna to celebrate her 18th birthday and to do her father’s bidding by investigating potential suitors with whom to form an alliance in marriage. At once, Peter falls in love with the fetching Emilie and vows to grab hold of her heart. With the help of a disgraced former courtier Cyrano d’Argentin (Billy Crystal), Peter develops a new identity as a son of a Polish duke and, along with his brothers, gains entry to the October ball at the Viennese court and meet his dream girl.

The irony is that Emilie herself has adopted a secret identity as a Prussian countess in the hopes that her own investigation for a suitable mate will not be hindered by the knowledge of her own heritage.

Meanwhile, Eduard (Adam Goldberg), the eldest of the three, is an aspiring painter, with a keen head of understanding form and structure, but fails in the art of wooing aristocrat women. He is a cur, throwing his father’s money at whores and wine and threatens to expose the brothers through his vulgar tastes. Peter and Willem (Balthazar Getty) do what they can to curb Eduard’s appetite, but eventually discover that the nobility to which they aspire turn out to be much more base and vulgar than they ever imagined.

The story takes a turn a few weeks after the grand ball when Marie Antoinette, queen of France and the aunt of Holy Roman Emperor Franz II, was guillotined in Paris. A deluge of aristocratic French emigres soon arrive in Vienna and startle the court with tales of the barbarity of republicans and bourgeousie rebels. Being themselves members of the bourgeois class, the Knobloch brothers are apprehensive at this development and are taken aback at the prospect of a similar uprising in the Austria-Hungarian empire. Without going into details, a surprising twist occurs which shatters both their dreams as well as the hopes of poor Emilie to fulfill her father’s wishes, yet ends on a particularly satisfiying note.

30 Days of Night was a fun experiement, with a refreshingly conservative take on the historical instances. Director John Waters does not try to instill post-modern values on the characters and stays true to the time and setting of 18th century Vienna. This is greatly apparent with the treatment of the Emilie character, who is not a feminist in today’s sense of the word, but can be considered one for her era by being head-strong, creative and individualistic while remaining devoted to her father and his wishes. In that sense, the film is honest and true to its subject, and to do this takes courage.

If nothing else, however, this film has got to be appreciated for the sheer size and detail of the sets, as well as for the extrodinary costume design. Even more than this was the beautiful baroque musical score, inspired by both Mozart and Joseph Haydn. (The latter, it should be noted, is introduced to the brothers during the grand ball scene and is played by Tony Bennett in a delightful cameo.)

This movie isn’t for everybody, but if you enjoy period pieces and, especially, historical fiction, 30 Days of Night is right up your alley.

Bumf recommends.